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ECON 4930-005 (CRN 83289) � MATHEMATICAL ECONOMICS
ECON 6030-005 (CRN 83299) � INTRODUCTION TO MATHEMATICS FOR ECONOMICS
Semester: Fall 2010
Time/Place: 5:30-6:45pm TR, Aderhold Learning Center 205
Instructor: Dr. Shelby Frost
Office: Andrew Young School of Policy Studies (AYSPS), room 656. The AYSPS building is located at the
intersection of Marietta and Peachtree Streets; my office is now on the 6th floor � take a left off the
elevators.
Office Hours: 4:00-5:00pm TR; and/or by appointment
Office Phone: 404-413-0155 (email is my preferred method of communication � see note #1 below)
Email Address: sfrost@gsu.edu (or use the email feature in uLearn)
Website: http://www2.gsu.edu/~ecosdf/
Prerequisite: Math 1111 or equivalent (basic college algebra), ECON 2105, and ECON 2106, or consent of
instructor.�
Text/Materials: Essential Mathematics for Economic Analysis, 3rd edition, by Knut Sydsaeter & Peter Hammond
is required.� The textbook website is http://wps.pearsoned.co.uk/ema_uk_he_sydsaeter_essmath_3/.� A
scientific calculator is recommended.� Access to a computer and the internet is required � there are many
computer labs available on campus � for information about locations and hours see http://www.gsu.edu
/ist/38559.html.
We will be using uLearn (formerly known as WebCT vista) for this course, which can be found at
http://ulearn.gsu.edu.� It is a password-protected environment where you can monitor your grades, easily
communicate with me and your classmates, and find many useful materials throughout the semester.� Please
check the uLearn site at least once between each class meeting for announcements, etc.� To logon to the system,
you need your uLearn ID and your initial password � see the uLearn login page for information about how to login
to the system and where to go for help if you have never used WebCT before (otherwise, there should be a link to
this course on your existing uLearn page).� If you have trouble getting into the uLearn site with your own user ID
and password, use temp.sfrost as the user ID and student as the password (this is my �fake student� account �
please do NOT change the password for this account), and please send me an email to let me know that you cannot
access the uLearn site so I can try to help you access it.� There will be various items available through the internet
throughout the semester. You should become familiar with a web browser (such as Netscape, Firefox, or Internet
Explorer) and you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader for some items; the reader is available free of charge at�
http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html. There is a link to the Adobe site on the links organizer
page of the uLearn site.� If you have not already done so, I highly recommend that you install it on your machine;
it should already be installed on any machine you use in a computer lab on campus.
Learning Objectives for ECON 4930/6030:
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1. The student should be able to define a function and graph simple functions such as linear functions, quadratic
functions, exponential functions, and logarithmic functions.
2. The student should be able to solve basic algebraic equations.
3. The student should be able to identify some basic properties of a function such as continuity, differentiability,
concavity, and homogeneity.
4. The student should be able to do elementary matrix operations such as matrix addition, subtraction, and
multiplication.
5. The student should be able to solve systems of linear equations using the substitution method, the elimination
by addition method, Gauss-Jordan elimination, the matrix inverse method and Cramer�s rule.
6. The student should be able to differentiate functions using various differentiation rules (sum, difference,
quotient, and chain rule).
7. The student should be able to do partial derivatives and do implicit differentiation.
8. The student should be able to integrate functions and evaluate definite integrals.
9. The student should be able to calculate interest and solve present value problems.
10. The student should be able to identify and characterize extreme values of one-variable and multi-variable
functions.
11. The student should be able to solve both unconstrained and constrained optimization problems.
Grading/Make-up Policy: This semester, I will assign grades based upon how much money you earn in this class
(please see note #2 below).� The more money you earn, the higher the grade you can afford.� More information
about GSU grades can be found at http://www.gsu.edu/es/grades.html.� Students taking the course for graduate
credit (those registered for ECON 6030) will be required to give an in-class presentation (details will be announced
in class).� The following scale will be used to assign grades:
Course Grade
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD
F
Money Earned
$970,000 or more
$930,000 or more
$900,000 to $929,999
$870,000 to $899,999
$830,000 to $869,999
$800,000 to $829,999
$770,000 to $799,999
$730,000 to $769,999
$700,000 to $729,999
$600,000 to $699,999
$599,999 or less
How to earn money:� The most money can be earned from exams; there will be three one-hour unit
exams and a comprehensive one-hour final exam, each worth a maximum $250,000.� Note that there is a
total of $1,000,000 available from exam grades alone, so it is possible for you to afford any grade that you
�need� or want, if you perform well enough on the exams.� However, as an economist, I believe that
people respond to incentives, so there will be other opportunities to earn extra income, related to activities
that I believe are associated with your better comprehension of the material. There is a spreadsheet in
uLearn that will allow you to easily calculate your grade so that you will always know where you stand in
the class and what you need to do to earn enough income for the grade that you want.� The following table
can be used to get an idea of most of the money that may be earned this semester.�
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Your Earnings:
exam 1
exam 2
exam 3
final exam
improvement bonus*
total exam earnings
Possible
$�� 250,000
$�� 250,000
$�� 250,000
$�� 250,000
$���������� $1,000,000
total extra credit earnings**
total earnings
$���� 11,000
$1,011,000
Date
9/14/10
10/12/10
11/04/10
12/07/10
*If your final exam earnings are better than your lowest unit exam earnings, then you earn the difference
between your final exam earnings and your lowest unit exam earnings (called an improvement bonus).�
This is mathematically equivalent to having your final exam earnings replace your lowest unit exam earnings
(when the final exam earnings are the higher of the two).
** The total extra credit earnings will most likely increase some from the $11,000 listed in this table, but I
will reveal to you on the first day of class how you may be able to earn an extra $11,000 in total from
various activities throughout the semester.� There may be other opportunities that arise throughout the
semester too, so $11,000 is the minimum amount of extra income that can be earned.
More about exams:� All exams will be similar to the homework problems that will be assigned every day.�
After the exam is over, I will post the answers to the exam in uLearn so you can see the correct solutions.� In a
few days, the official scores will be posted in uLearn and the exams will be returned in class so that you can verify
that your grade is recorded correctly.� If you suspect that there is an error in your exam grade, please send me an
email ASAP so that we can determine the problem and get it corrected right away.� The coverage of each exam
can be found on the uLearn calendar.� The final exam will cover new material and previous material.� Each
exam is worth a maximum of $250,000.� The spreadsheet in uLearn will help you calculate your earnings on any
given exam based on your raw score.� There will be absolutely NO MAKE-UP EXAMS! If you miss an exam,
then you will earn $0 for that exam, and the improvement bonus will kick in for that exam. It works as follows� If
you miss a single unit exam, your final exam will replace your missed exam score via the improvement bonus; if
you miss more than one unit exam, the first missed exam score will be replaced by the final exam score via the
improvement bonus, and the subsequent missed exams will result in $0 (if you have to miss half or more of the
scheduled exams in this course, perhaps a hardship withdrawal should be considered � see note #5 below for more
information about withdrawals). You cannot make up the final exam unless there are grounds for an incomplete
grade and arrangements are made for that prior to the end of the semester (see note #4 below for more information
about incompletes). While it is difficult to recover from missing an exam, it is possible to replace a missed unit
exam (or any other terrible exam earnings) by taking the final exam and earning an improvement bonus. All exam
dates (including the final exam) are posted on the calendar in uLearn, as well as in the table above. My advice to
you is to clear your calendar for those four days this semester and plan to be in class to take all exams � and allow
yourself plenty of time to prepare for them so that you can earn the maximum income possible from them.�
Attendance Policy:� Attendance will be taken daily.� Attendance does not factor directly into your grade, but
attending class is important and that is why I take roll every day.� If you miss class, you are responsible for finding
out what you missed.� Note that some opportunities to earn extra income will require your presence in class �
missed opportunities for extra income CANNOT be made up!� Consult the uLearn calendar to see what we are
scheduled to cover each day.� It represents a tentative course outline, but we will try to stick to it as closely as
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possible (please see note #7 below).� Please make note of the exam dates!�
Notes:
1. When sending me an email to sfrost@gsu.edu, be sure to send it from your official GSU student email address
because my email program frequently blocks emails from external email accounts (such as yahoo, gmail,
etc.).� I will send emails to you either via uLearn or using your official GSU email account (so you need to
check those regularly � see http://www.gsu.edu/ist/dist_email_students.html for the GSU policy on
communications via GSU email accounts).
2. I am not really paying you money; this is just for illustrative purposes.� When I say �money�, I mean
hypothetical classroom dollars, which are used to assign your grade in the course.
3. Students who wish to request accommodation for a disability may do so by registering with the Office of
Disability Services. Students may only be accommodated upon issuance by the Office of Disability Services
of a signed Accommodation Plan and are responsible for providing a copy of that plan to instructors of all
classes in which an accommodation is sought.� If you require special accommodations for exams (e.g., "time
and a half"), you MUST provide documentation from GSU Disability Services and make arrangements with
me PRIOR to the exam dates.
4. Incompletes will only be given to students who are PASSING the course, and even then, only in very special
circumstances.� In the case where an incomplete is awarded, it MUST be removed by the end of the NEXT
term that the student is enrolled (and within TWO terms regardless of whether or not the student is enrolled)
or it will automatically turn into an F.� See http://www.gsu.edu/es/20471.html for more information on
GSU�s policy on removal of Incompletes.
5. Students who withdraw after the midpoint of each term will not be eligible for a "W" except in cases of
hardship. A student who withdraws after the midpoint of the term is assigned a grade of "WF," except in
those cases in which (1) hardship status is determined by the Office of the Dean of Students because of
emergency employment, or health reasons, and (2) the student is doing passing work, as determined by the
student's instructor(s).� Effective Fall 2006, students are limited to a total of six withdrawals during their
academic career� see http://www.gsu.edu/es/20399.html for more information on the new University policy.
6. All students are responsible for knowing and adhering to GSU�s Policy on Academic Honesty as published
in On Campus: The Undergraduate Co-Curricular Affairs Handbook.
7. This course syllabus provides a general plan for the course; deviations may be necessary.� Important
University dates can be found at http://calendar.gsu.edu/calendar/EventList.aspx.
8. This syllabus is for this particular section of ECON 4930/6030 only.� See the GSU Economics Department
generic course description for ECON 4930 at http://aysps.gsu.edu
/econ/1315.html#ECON_4930__Mathematical_Economics.� See the GSU Economics Department generic
course description for ECON 6030 at http://aysps.gsu.edu
/econ/1316.html#ECON_6030__Introduction_to_Mathematics_for_Economists.
9. Your constructive assessment of this course plays an indispensable role in shaping education at GSU. Upon
completing this course, please take time to fill out the online course evaluation.
10. Students are expected to behave properly in class � so as not to interfere with the learning environment of
others in the classroom.� This includes showing up for class on time, not leaving early (or at least being
quiet if either of those do happen), not talking to neighbors in class, not using cell phones during class, etc.�
All cell phones and other noise-making devices must be turned off during exams!� You may NOT use
your cell phone, PDA, or laptop as a calculator on exams � only standard calculators (without
communication access) are allowed on exams.� Students not adhering to these rules/guidelines may be
asked to leave the class and may be subject to an administrative withdrawal (depending on the severity of the
infraction).� See http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwdos/codeofconduct.html for more information on GSU�s
policy on disruptive student behavior in the classroom.
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